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In brief: El Cerrito Fire Department offers risk reduction guidance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

EL CERRITOAre you prepared for fire season? With El Cerrito containing Very High Fire Hazard Severity zones, staying vigilant and prepared is important in the event of a wildfire.The El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department is continuing to actively identify and execute fire fuel management activities in the El Cerrito Hillside Natural Area this season by focusing on mowing tall grass along fence lines and access trails.Residents can help by managing the vegetation on their own properties or by volunteering at work parties to remove invasive or highly flammable plants from the Hillside Natural Area. Sign up for the city’s monthly Green Happenings e-newsletter for information on upcoming work parties at el-cerrito.org/greenhappenings.The El Cerrito-Kensington Fire Department also continues to conduct an annual inspection program to ensure that all properties are managed in a way so as to not create fire hazards. Residents can download a fire hazard reduction checklist (bit.ly/47MCPAv) t...

How President Biden’s SAVE student loan repayment plan can lower your bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

By Katie Lobosco | CNNWashington — While the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program in late June, a separate and significant change to the federal student loan system is moving ahead.Eligible borrowers can now enroll in a new income-driven repayment plan that could lower their monthly bills and reduce the amount they pay back over the lifetime of their loans.If borrowers apply this summer, the changes to their bills are expected take effect before payments resume in October after the yearslong pandemic pause ends. But the Biden administration is encouraging borrowers to apply as soon as possible to make sure the changes happen on time.Once the plan, which Biden is calling SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education), is fully phased in next year, some people will see their monthly bills cut in half and remaining debt canceled after making at least 10 years of payments.Unlike Biden’s blocked one-time forgiveness program, the new repayment plan will ...

Missing Sierra Nevada hiker found dead; wife saw his tracking dot stop moving

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

A California man who went missing on a Sierra Nevada backpacking trip was found dead, apparently having fallen on a rocky slope.Stephen Bloor, 57, of Santa Ana, was reported missing by his wife, who became concerned when his GPS tracking device remained in one place for hours, the Mono County sheriff’s office said.Bloor had set out on the morning of Friday, Aug. 18, from Devils Postpile, near Mammoth Lakes, on what was intended to be a solo hike to the Lake Tahoe area, about 180 miles. He reportedly told other hikers on the John Muir Trail that he planned to spend the first night at Garnet Lake, a 10-mile hike from Devils Postpile — but in his last contact with his wife, around 6 p.m., he had apparently left the main trail and was near Iceberg Lake, at 10,000 feet elevation and 3 miles southwest of Garnet. A report from the Mono County sheriff’s office said his wife was unable to reach him by phone or through his satellite communication device after that, and the l...

Robber hits bank on Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

OAKLAND — A Piedmont Avenue bank branch was robbed Tuesday morning, authorities said.The robbery happened about 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Citibank branch, located at 4101 Piedmont Ave.Police said a man confronted a teller, claimed to have a gun and demanded cash. The man was given an undisclosed amount of cash and then fled the bank, police said. He was last seen walking westbound on 41st Street.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Oakland police release image of driver sought in fatal hit-and-run Crime and Public Safety | East Bay man pleads to life sentence for torturing his daughter who died; stepmom accepts 6-year prison term Crime and Public Safety | San Francisco resident identified as man shot dead by Martinez police outside cannabis dispensary Crime and Public Safety | Oakland jurors convict one man, acquit another in fatal beating of 75-year-old man Crime and Public Safety | In plea deal, Pit...

Man crashes car during police pursuit following armed robbery in Lafayette

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

(KRON) -- A man was arrested Tuesday following an armed robbery that led to a stolen vehicle pursuit, according to the Lafayette Police Department.Officers responded to the report of an armed robbery at a local gas station as employees pointed to the suspect car that was fleeing the scene onto Mount Diablo Boulevard. One officer attempted to make a traffic stop, however the suspect refused to pull over and a pursuit ensued, police said. Dog injured in DUI Pleasanton crash, owner arrested The suspect turned onto a dead-end residential street and crashed down a drainage channel. The photos below show the aftermath of the crash. Lafayette Police Department Lafayette Police Department Lafayette Police DepartmentThe suspect attempted to escape back up the hill, but officers got to him first and detained him. The investigation revealed the car that the suspect was driving was stolen during another armed robbery in neighboring state, LPD said. The man was arrested and booked into the M...

'Aggressive shark behavior' reported off San Mateo County coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

(KRON) -- Aggressive shark behavior was reported Tuesday in the vicinity of Pebble Beach, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. A kayaker had a close encounter with a shark that was behaving aggressively, but emerged unharmed, police said. Person robbed, dragged by 2 armed suspects in Oakland: video The encounter occurred just south of Pescadero, a state beach jurisdiction.The photo below, taken KRON4 Reporter Michael Thomas, shows a beach closure sign at Pebble Beach Wednesday morning. Watch his latest report in the video player above. No further information is available at this time.

No. 9 Clemson has been atop the ACC for years. No. 8 Florida State is hoping to get back there

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

Clemson has been in control of the Atlantic Coast Conference for nearly a decade. Florida State aims to challenge that this fall.The ninth-ranked Tigers are the preseason favorite after winning the ACC title for the seventh time in eight seasons. The Seminoles, however, are ranked higher in the AP Top 25 (eighth) and picked second to set up the potential for a Clemson-FSU meeting in the title game now that the league has nixed its two-division format. That puts the spotlight squarely on the league’s marquee brands, though for FSU, it remains to be seen whether this climb will have staying power.“We know that Clemson has been the standard in the recent past in the ACC and we’re pushing to get to that point,” coach Mike Norvell said.Florida State terrorized the league when it arrived in 1992, winning national championships in 1993 and 1999 under the late Bobby Bowden, and then — after a lull from 2005-09 — again in 2013 with Jimbo Fisher.By 2015, Clemson had blown past Flo...

Hungry Ohio Bobcats hope to end MAC title drought by dethroning favored Toledo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

Last season, Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke had the Bobcats on the cusp of winning their first Mid-American Conference crown since 1968. Then he tore a knee ligament and Ohio lost its fifth league championship game.Nine months later, the MAC’s reigning offensive player of the year is nearing the end of his rehab schedule and about to start a new quest.“I’m just looking forward to playing again, to playing the game I love,” Rourke said. “I’ve been working a lot this summer on getting back mentally and also physically. So as soon as I can get going is the best-case scenario.”It’s unclear when exactly that might be. Third-year coach Tim Albin has repeatedly said Rourke’s recovery is ahead of schedule. Rourke concurs. Could he play in Saturday’s season opener at San Diego State? “We’re going to have a clearer understanding of where he’s at after practice,” Albin said Monday. The backup plan is to lean on the same duo that helped Ohio clinch last year’s East...

Judge temporarily blocks new Tennessee House Republican ban on signs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge agreed Wednesday to temporarily block a new rule advanced by state House Republicans that banned the public from holding signs during floor and committee proceedings after three people with signs urging gun control were kicked out of a hearing Tuesday. Nashville Chancellor Anne Martin handed down the ruling within hours of the filing of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee on behalf of Allison Polidor, Maryam Abolfazli and Erica Bowton. Republicans, who have a supermajority control in the House, advanced the new rule this week during a special session that was called by Gov. Bill Lee in reaction to a Nashville school shooting in March.A hearing on the temporary injunction has been scheduled for Sept. 5. However, lawmakers are expected to adjourn by Thursday.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee House Republicans are being sued over their new rule banning the...

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes deep underground in northern Argentina; no damage reported

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:53 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck deep underground in northern Argentina on Wednesday, and there were no immediate reports of damages.The quake occurred at a depth of 568 kilometers (353 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was in the province of Santiago del Estero, in northern Argentina, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of the provincial capital.The earthquake took place a few minutes after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck at a depth of 89 kilometers (55 miles) in northern neighboring Chile, 56 kilometers (35 miles) east of the town of La Tirana. Neither Argentine nor Chilean authorities reported any damages.Source